Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and one deputy to the French National Assembly. Justice is generally administered under French law by a tribunal of first instance in Mata-Utu, but the three traditional kingdoms administer justice according to customary law (only for non-criminal cases). The court of appeal is in Nouméa, New Caledonia. The territory participates in the Franc Zone, and as a permanent member of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and as an observer of the Pacific Islands Forum. History Ruins of the Talietumu fort Although the Dutch and the British were the European discoverers of the islands in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was the French who were the first Europeans to settle in the territory, with the arrival of French missionaries in 1837, who converted the population to Roman Catholicism. Pierre Chanel, canonized as a saint in 1954, is a major patron of the island of Futuna and the region. Wallis is named after the British explorer, Samuel Wallis.[citation needed] On 5 April 1842, the missionaries asked for the protection of France after the rebellion of a part of the local population. On 5 April 1887, the queen of Uvea (on the island of Wallis) signed a treaty officially establishing a French protectorate. The kings of Sigave and Alo on the islands of Futuna and Alofi also signed a treaty establishing a French protectorate on 16 February 1888. The islands were put under the authority of the French colony of New Caledonia. In 1917, the three traditional kingdoms were annexed to France and turned into the Colony of Wallis and Futuna, still under the authority of the Colony of New Caledonia.[citation needed] In 1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French overseas territory, effective in 1961, thus ending their subordination to New Caledonia.[6] In 2005, the 50th king, Tomasi Kulimoetoke II, faced being deposed after giving sanctuary to his grandson who was convicted of manslaughter. The king claimed his grandson should be judged by tribal law rather than by the French penal system. There were riots in the streets involving the king's supporters, who were victorious over attempts to replace the king. Two years later, Tomasi Kulimoetoke died on 7 May 2007. The state was in a six-month period of mourning. During this period, mentioning a successor was forbidden.[7] On 25 July 2008, Kapiliele Faupala was installed as king despite protests from some of the royal clans. Geography Map of the territory of Wallis and Futuna Lake Lalolalo on ?Uvea Wallis and Futuna is located about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand, at 13°18'S 176°12'W? / ?13.3°S 176.2°W? / -13.3; -176.2Coordinates: 13°18'S 176°12'W? / ?13.3°S 176.2°W? / -13.3; -176.2, (225 mi west of Samoa and 300 mi (480 km) north-east of Fiji). The territory includes the island of Wallis (the most populous), the island of Futuna, the essentially uninhabited island of Alofi (the population of Alofi was reportedly eaten by the cannibal people of Futuna in one single raid in the 19th century), and 20 uninhabited islets, totaling 274 square kilometres (106 sq mi) with 129 kilometres (80 mi) of coastline. The highest point in the territory is Mont Puke (on the island of Futuna) at 524 metres (1,719 ft). The islands have a hot, rainy season from November to April and a cool, dry season from May to October. The rains accumulate 2,500 to 3,000 millimetres (98–118 in) each year. The average humidity is 80% and the temperature 26.6 °C (79.9 °F). Only five percent of the islands' land area is arable land; permanent crops cover another 20%. Deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain), largely as a result of the continued use of wood as the main fuel source, is a serious problem; as a consequence of cutting down the forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to erosion. There are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of natural fresh water resources. The two island groups lie about 260 km apart: Wallis Islands (Uvea), in the northeast Wallis Island (Uvea) Hoorn Islands (Futuna Islands), in the southwest Futuna Alofi Economy The GDP of Wallis and Futuna in 2005 was 188 million US dollars at market exchange rates.[4] The GDP per capita was 12,640 US dollars in 2005 (at market exchange rates, not at PPP), which is lower than in New Caledonia, French Polynesia, and all the other French overseas departments and territories (except Mayotte), but higher than in all the small insular independent states of Oceania.[4] The territory's economy is limited to traditional subsistence agriculture, with about 80% of the labor force earning its livelihood from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed in government. Revenues come from French government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia, French Polynesia and France. Industries include copra, handicrafts, fishing, and lumber. Agricultural products include breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas, pigs, and goats. In 2007, US$63 million worth of commodities (foodstuffs, manufactured goods, transportation equipment, fuel, clothing) were imported, primarily from France, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand, and there were no exports (the previous year, in 2006, exports amounted to US$122,000 and consisted entirely of 19 tons of trochus shells).[8] Along with the French territories of New Caledonia and French Polynesia, the territory uses the CFP Franc, which is fixed vs. the euro, at the rate of 1,000 XPF = 8.38 euro. Banking: In 1991, BNP Nouvelle-Calédonie, a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, established a subsidiary, Banque de Wallis et Futuna, which currently is the only bank in the territory. Two years earlier Banque Indosuez had closed the branch at Mata-Utu that it had opened in 1977, leaving the territory without any bank. Demographics Main article: Demographics of Wallis and Futuna The total population of the territory at the July 2008 census was 13,484 (68.4% on the island of Wallis, 31.6% on the island of Futuna),[3] down from 14,944 at the July 2003 census.[9] The vast majority of the population are of Polynesian ethnicity, with a small minority of Metropolitan French descent and/or native-born whites of French descent. More than 16,000 Wallisians and Futunians live as expatriates in New Caledonia, which is more than the total population of Wallis and Futuna. The overwhelming majority of the people in Wallis and Futuna are Catholic. Languages Further information: Wallisian language and Futunan language At the 2008 census, among the population whose age was 14 and older, 60.2% of people reported that the language they speak the most at home is Wallisian, 29.9% reported that the language they speak the most at home is Futunan, and 9.7% reported that the language they speak the most at home is French.[10] On Wallis Island, the languages most spoken at home were Wallisian (86.1%), French (12.1%), and Futunan (1.5%).[10] On Futuna, the languages most spoken at home were Futunan (94.9%), French (4.2%), and Wallisian (0.8%).[10] At the same 2008 census, 88.5% of people whose age was 14 or older reported that they could speak, read and write either Wallisian or Futunan, whereas 7.2% reported that they had no knowledge of either Wallisian or Futunan.[10] 78.2% of people whose age was 14 or older reported that they could speak, read and write French, whereas 17.3% reported that they had no knowledge of French.[10] On Wallis Island, 81.1% of people whose age was 14 or older reported that they could speak, read and write French, whereas 14.3% reported that they had no knowledge of French.[10] On Futuna, 71.6% of people whose age was 14 or older reported that they could speak, read and write French, whereas 24.3% reported that they had no knowledge of French.[10] Historical population 1969 1976 1983 1990 1996 2003 2008 8,546 9,192 12,408 13,705 14,166 14,944 13,484 Official figures from past censuses.[3][9] Culture Dancers from Wallis and Futuna performing the 'Plantation' The culture of Wallis and Futuna is Polynesian, and is very similar to the cultures of its neighbouring nations Samoa and Tonga. The Wallisian and Futunan culture share very similar components to culture; language, dance, cuisine and modes of celebration. The language native to and spoken daily by the islanders is the 'Uvea language, which traces its roots to Samoic origin. Despite this, the official language (because of its administrative purposes) is French. [11] In Wallis and Futuna, culture is prided by the locals. Traditional events like the kava ceremony, going to church (largely Roman Catholic), plantation & agriculture, and fishing are all highly regarded.[citation needed] Transport and communications In 1994, the territory had 1,125 telephones in use, had one AM radio station, and two television broadcast stations. Due to this, communication costs are high, costing up to ten times as much as western countries. The island of Wallis has about 100 kilometres (62 mi) of highway, of which 16 paved, while the island of Futuna has only 20 kilometres (12 mi), none paved. The territory has two main ports and harbours, Mata-Utu and Leava (on the island of Futuna), that support its merchant marine fleet consisting of three ships (two passenger ships and a petroleum tanker), totaling 92,060 GRT or 45,881 tonnes. There are two airports, one on Wallis with a paved runway of 2,100 metres (6,900 ft), and one on Futuna with a 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) unpaved strip. New Caledonia-based Aircalin operates the only commercial flights that go to Wallis, where it has an office in Mata-Utu. There are no commercial boat operators. Miscellaneous The territory's data code and country code (top level Internet domain) is .wf. Currently this is suspended in favor of the .fr and .nc (Nouvelle Calédonie) data code. See also Geography portal Oceania portal Outline of Wallis and Futuna Administrative divisions of France French overseas departments and territories Islands controlled by France in the Indian and Pacific oceans Vicariate Apostolic of Oriental Oceania References ^ a b World factbook: Wallis and Futuna ^ "Kapeliele Faupala crowned new king of Wallis". Radio New Zealand. 25 July 2008. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. http://www.webcitation.org/5ZZYITUZa.  ^ a b c d INSEE. "Les populations des circonscriptions du Territoire des îles Wallis et Futuna". Government of France. http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/detail.asp?ref_id=poplegalescom&page=recensement/poplegalescom/popcircwallisetfutuna.htm. Retrieved 13 January 2009.  (French) ^ a b c d (French) INSEE, CEROM. "L’économie de Wallis-et-Futuna en 2005: Une économie traditionnelle et administrée" (PDF). http://prod-afd.afd.zeni.fr/jahia/webdav/site/cerom/users/admin_cerom/public/Pdf/4pagesWF.pdf. Retrieved 1 July 2008.  ^ World Statesmen source ^ http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107555.html ^ BBC News (1 June 2007). "Been and gone – fit for a King". http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6711691.stm. Retrieved 3 June 2007.  ^ (French) Institut d'émission d'Outre-Mer (IEOM). "Wallis et Futuna en 2007" (PDF). http://www.ieom.fr/upload/RA2007_WALLIS.pdf. Retrieved 1 July 2008. [dead link] ^ a b Service Territorial de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques. "Recensement de la Population 2003 de Wallis et Futuna: Principaux résultats". http://www.spc.int/prism/country/wf/stats/CensusandSurveys/cen03_main.htm. Retrieved 13 January 2009. [dead link] (French) ^ a b c d e f g (French) INSEE, Government of France. "Tableau Pop_06_1 : Population selon le sexe, la connaissance du français et l'âge décennal" (XLS). http://www.insee.fr/fr/ppp/bases-de-donnees/irweb/rpwf08/dd/excel/rpwf08_Pop_06.xls. Retrieved 3 October 2009.  ^ culture.com/To-Z/Wallis-And-Futuna.html "Wallis and Futuna: Culture". http://every culture.com/To-Z/Wallis-And-Futuna.html.  External links Great content source about Wallis and Futuna (French) Official website of the Assembly (French) Official website of the French Administrateur supérieur de Wallis et Futuna (French) Wallis and Futuna entry at The World Factbook Wallis and Futuna from UB Libraries GovPubs Wallis and Futuna at the Open Directory Project Wikimedia Atlas of Wallis and Futuna Wallis and Futuna travel guide from Wikitravel Map of Wallis and Futuna, with district boundaries (French) Information about Wallis and Futuna (French) Pictures of Wallis v t e Wallis and Futuna Uvea · Alo · Sigave Government Politics · Elections · Political parties · Legislature Culture Demographics · Wallisian language · Futunan language · Music · Football · Coat of arms · Flag Other topics History · Geography · Administrative divisions · Towns and villages · Climate · Economy  · Airports · Communications · Transport Outline v t e Overseas departments and territories of France   Inhabited areas Overseas departments1 French Guiana Guadeloupe Martinique Réunion Mayotte2 Overseas collectivities French Polynesia St. Barthélemy St. Martin St. Pierre and Miquelon Wallis and Futuna Special status New Caledonia   Uninhabited areas Pacific Ocean Clipperton Island French Southern and Antarctic Lands Île Amsterdam Île Saint-Paul Crozet Islands Kerguelen Islands Adélie Land Scattered islands in the Indian Ocean Banc du Geyser4 Bassas da India4 Europa Island4 Glorioso Islands3, 4, 5 Juan de Nova Island4 Tromelin Island4, 5 1 Also known as overseas regions 2 Claimed by Comoros 3 Claimed by Madagascar 4 Claimed by Seychelles 5 Claimed by Mauritius v t e History of Oceania Sovereign states Australia East Timor (Timor-Leste) Fiji Indonesia Kiribati Marshall Islands Federated States of Micronesia Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Islands Tonga 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